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German Studies

The German studies concentration considers the language, linguistic history, philosophy, literature, culture, history, art, and music of the German-speaking countries. These can best be understood by placing German, Austrian, and Swiss cultures within a larger European context. As a result, the concentration is interdivisional, and includes courses in the arts, social studies, and languages and literature. Students who elect this concentration are strongly encouraged to spend time in Germany and to enroll in classes at an institution of higher learning there. In recent years, students have successfully participated in the study abroad program run by the University of Massachusetts in the southwest of Germany (Baden Württenberg), where they have enrolled in courses in language, literature, architecture, music, history, chemistry, and physics. Bard College has an exchange program with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. This program is for students with advanced language skills. The German studies concentration may be effectively combined with one in cross-cultural relations, cultural studies, European studies, linguistics, literary studies, modern studies, or with any other foreign language study.

Curriculum

This concentration is designed primarily for students who want to spend a semester or preferably a year abroad in a German-speaking country and who have developed sufficient fluency in the language. Such students will typically have fulfilled the language requirement in German and taken additional German language courses. For these students, the Moderation Committee will make recommendations about courses to take while abroad. Students who wish to complete the concentration at Simon’s Rock must take Intermediate German I and II (six credits), an advanced tutorial in German (300-level; four credits), and at least two more courses (three or four credits) selected from the list below or from the offerings at Bard College.

Courses

German 204 Intermediate German I
German 205 Intermediate German II
German 300/400 German Tutorial
Literature 291 Translation Workshop
Music 202m Medieval Music
Music 205m Later Baroque Music
Music 215m Haydn and Mozart
Music 216 Music of the Romantic Era

Senior Theses

Students may elect to write a critical thesis in English. Students may opt, for example, to do translations from German into English and write about the process of translation, the problems encountered, etc. Students may also conduct research abroad and use this as a basis for a thesis on aspects of German society and culture.

Recent Senior Theses

“Seek the Unknown: An Encounter in Intercultural Experience”
“Roots of the German Festival of Fastnacht”
“Rosenstrasse: Successful Resistance in the Third Reich”
“The Study-Abroad Experience”